The trials of love
by vampress116
Summary: A touching Romano x Spain fanfic about love and war. Again, I had to re-upload since some things didn't go through the right way, enjoy and please comment!
1. Coming home

A/N: I made this story thinking that Romano would be in a prepubescent stage. Also, since the evil trio of Spain, Prussia, and France are a good team, they will on occasions either stay at each others houses, or fight as a team in this story.

Also, Romano is wearing that pinkish dress and apron that he wore when he was chibi-Romano

* * *

Romano sat in the bay view window seat and anxiously glanced back and forth at the clock. It was now 9:34 pm. _Where is he?_ he thought biting his lip, _He promised that he would be here by now._

Romano was at Spain's house and, as per usual, was left at home to tend to things when another issue came up or whenever Spain wanted to travel overseas for a decent trade. Romano was a terrible house sitter and often times only made a mess worse but it never seemed to bother Spain. He would always just smile happily and help Romano put things back into place. This time though, it had seemed like a battle. Romano remembered that just a week ago with Spain in his usual pirate clothing and battle axe, as he walked out the door said _"I promise I won't take long Romano, I should be back in a week, then we should be able to relax for a nice long while, maybe even harvest a few tomatoes." _Behind him, Prussia and France were gathering the rest of their supplies for the journey ahead.

_"Why can't I come with you though?" _he had protested. Spain didn't bother to respond to this. Instead he ruffled his hair and ran off down the dirt path to the house. Romano stood in the doorway with a mixed expression of worry and sadness but before Spain was out of sight he turned around and yelled back, _"It'll a only a week. I promise!"_

Romano glanced at the clock again. 11:16 pm. He had been thinking so much that he lost track of time but he was tired. Too tired to keep his eyes open anymore. _But I have...to see him..._ was the last thing that flowed through Romano's head as he leaned against the glass of the window and fell asleep as the first drops of rain began to fall in the night.

* * *

Romano was awoken 3 hours later by the sound of a door slamming shut. It took him a second to get his thoughts together but when he did he immediately came to a conclusion. _Spain's home! _He jumped out of the window seat and ran towards the front door, his dress trailing behind him. When Romano saw him though, his heart sank in an ocean of despair. Spain was looking breathless and was leaning on his battle axe for support. His clothes were slashed and worn out and beneath each cut was a bleeding scar. He was drenched from head to toe and his shoes were muddy from walking home in the rain last night.

Romano felt like crying but he couldn't. He had to take care of Spain. He slowly walked over to Spain. It seemed that Spain still had consciousness because he then looked up at Romano. Romano stopped in his tracks, a bit startled. At first Spain's face looked sad, and quite lonely, but then he smiled. This made Romano sick.

_Why do you always have to fight?_ Romano thought but rather than saying what was on his mind, he said fighting back tears "Your hurt. Why can't you fight any better you idiot?"

Spain just smiled. "Good to see you too, Romano" but his voice was no more than a whisper. He reached up to caress Romano's cheek, but instead he dropped his battle axe leaving A smear of his blood on Romano's face and crumpling on the floor in a heap.

"Spain." Romano whispered and he felt cold tears begin to fall down his cheeks. As he went to wipe the tears from his face, he wiped off some blood. His vision blurred and his eyes bulged as he began to hallucinate about pools of blood everywhere. He knelt down slowly and cradled his legs in his arms tucked his head away. he rocked himself back and forth and slowly whispered "Everything's going to be okay." just like Spain would do when Romano got too worried about something.

_Pull yourself together! _his conscience yelled. _That's right. _Romano thought, picking his head up._ Spain is still hurt._

He lifted himself up off the floor and shuffled closer to Spain. He knelt down beside him and shook his shoulder. "Spain, wake up."

Spain didn't respond. He just lay there, motionless except for his breathing which sounded like a struggle between his lungs and his throat to get air in.

"Spain. Please. Wake up." there was still no response and another tear fell down Romano's cheek. He didnt bother to to wipe it away. He took one of Spain's hands in his and put it to his face. It was cold. More blood smeared a handprint onto Romano's face, but he didn't take notice. Instead he lifted one of Spain's arms and proceeded to try and lift the man. He was only able to stand up to a crouching position but it would have to do. He dragged Spain over to the couch, the stench from Spain's clothes sickening him, and lifted his torso onto it. Then he pulled each of his legs up until Spain was fully sprawled on the couch.

Romano wiped a drop of sweat from his brow and looked at Spain. His clothes were splattered with his own blood. Romano took a couple of deep breaths. He couldn't stand seeing his loved ones hurt. In the end he concluded that take off Spain's wet clothes before he caught a cold and treat his wounds.

Romano went into Spain's room and got some bandage cloths and rags. When he returned he began to strip the pirate's clothes until he was just a scratched up man in his breeches. Romano blushed a little. _This is so embarrassing. _he thought.

He began by bandaging some scars and bruises on Spain's arms and legs. He also put a sling around Spain's right arm which he was pretty sure was either badly bruised or broken. Then he gently propped him up with pillows so that he could get the long slice on his chest and abdomen and wrapped his head in case of any damage.

He lay Spain back onto the couch and stepped back to make sure that he didn't miss anything. It looked like he was all patched up and fine but then suddenly he noticed something. Spain's forehead was covered in sweat and it looked like he was wincing. _Oh no. _he thought. _He must have a fever.  
_

He walked closer to Spain and leaned his head down to touch foreheads. At first it was wet, but then Romano felt the intense heat of Spain's fever. _So warm._ he thought. He closed his eyes as to try and ease Spain's pain or comfort him. He slowly backed away and picked up one of the rags. He walked into the kitchen and dipped the rag into some cool water from the well, then rung it out so it didn't drip too much on the floor. Romano folded the rag while walking back into the living room and placing it on Spain's forehead. Spain stopped wincing and smiled a little.

"Spain?" Romano called hopefully but it seemed that he was still unconscious. Romano smiled anyway, but only a little. Then he grabbed the afghan from the ledge of the couch and spread it over Spain.

Romano was exhausted. He plopped himself down in the armchair next to the couch. It was early in the morning and he was dizzy from all the crying. He looked to the unconscious Spaniard on the couch and then to the pile of soggy and torn clothing on a pile next to him. He sighed.

_The clothes would still be there. Plus, I'm only going to close my eyes for a little while. _He glanced up at the clock. 3:47 am. He curled up into a ball in the couch and closed his eyes. _I'll only be asleep for about 10 minutes. Then I'll deal with the clothes. _With that thought, he drifted off into a deep sleep leaving a somewhat peaceful air of silence in the house.

* * *

A/N: hoped you liked it! Spamano is my favorite couple so this was really fun. Please review. Next chapter should be out next week!


	2. Recovery

When Spain finally regained conciousness and woke up, it was just about noon. He sat up slowly and was a bit startled when he felt the afghan and the cool, damp rag from his forehead slide onto his lap. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

_Where did these come from? _he wondered _and why am I naked?! _

He looked around frantically. His battle ax was on the ground by the door and a lot of smeared blood. His clothes were on the ground next to the couch and felt a bit damp when he touched them. Finally he saw in the armchair in front of him, a sleeping Romano.

_He's so cute when he sleeps! _he thought, but that was before he noticed a large red handprint on Romano's left cheek. Spain took the rag from his lap and suddenly realized that he was covered in bandages from head to toe. _Is that my blood everywhere?_ he thought quizzically. It didn't matter. It made the house feel heavy and bitter, so it had to be cleaned. He pulled off the afghan and took the rag in his hand. When he tried to stand up from the chair he felt a rush of pain run through his bones. He ignored it though. Spain walked over to the armchair and leaned down to gently wipe the dried blood from Romano's face. When he finished, it seemed as though Romano was going to wake up but instead he rolled over with his back to Spain and squeezed himself into a tight ball.

_Must be cold. _Spain thought. He took the afghan from the couch and put it over Romano's shoulders. Romano smiled in his sleep. Spain smiled. He was so lucky to have him.

Spain's stomach grumbled loudly. _Better get something to eat. _Spain reasoned. He limped into the kitchen and continued to wonder, _how did I get hurt to begin with? _The reason just wasn't there. He scratched his head but only felt the bandage that Romano had put there the night before. Spain chuckled and unwrapped the bandage from his head.

Thats when it hit him.

It was a battle. He was with France and Prussia when it happened. They were fighting against a British fleet headed their way. _That coward England wasn't even fighting alongside his crew. _he recalled. But it didn't matter. His men were a tough enough to withstand most of their attacks. He was captured. If it hadn't been for France and Prussia, he may not have made it out alive. It hadn't been the first time that this had happened though. It was almost as if England wasn't even trying. Spain felt sick. That he could be so weak.

All of the thinking was starting to give him a headache so he tried to push the thoughts to the side. But he couldn't. The smell of blood and cannon fodder. The yells as people attacked from left and right. The pain from when he was stabbed by that lucky British bastard. Spain's heart was racing and it hurt. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears. It was all too much. He leaned on the countertop for support while he bent down clutching his heart.

"Spain?" Romano was standing in the doorway towards the kitchen rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Spain's face was twisted with pain and fear. Romano stared back at him his face filled with worry.

"It's nothing." Spain said. He straightened out his back and smiled, "I just got hungry is all."

Romano looked at him all but convinced.

"Honestly! Anywho, thanks for the bandages too." It looked like that did the trick. Romano stopped asking questions and it looked like his fears had subsided.

He slowly walked over to Spain and hugged him. Romano only came up to Spain's nipples but it didn't matter. Spain blushed a little. The hug was gentle because Romano was trying to avoid opening the wound across his chest.

Romano closed his eyes. "I thought I was going to lose you." he whispered.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I-I-I said I guess I can go and p-p-pick some tomatoes for lunch." Romano said. He came away from Spain with his head down then he crossed the kitchen floor to the back door and headed out towards the garden.

* * *

Spain had made a tomato soup for the both of them and they ate it silently on the front porch. After Romano had taken the dishes inside he came back out with a clean shirt and pants for Spain.

"Here." he said tossing them in his face, "Put these on before you get sick or something." Romano turned his head away from him and pouted to hide his lightly blushing cheeks.

Spain smiled slyly, "You're so cute, it's almost like your my nurse."

"I am NOT your nurse!" Romano snapped back spinning on his heel, "And stop calling me cute."

"But you are!" Spain had finished pulling on his shirt one handed and standing up to put on his pants.

"No I'm not! You can only call girls cute!" Spain stepped closer to Romano.

"But I think that your cute."

"I'm not a girl though!" Spain was directly in front of Romano now. He leaned down and kissed him full on the lips. Romano's eyes grew wide and his face burned brightly. It felt like an eternity before Romano slowly began to back away.

"I-I-I'm gonna go w-w-wash the-the-the..." Romano couldn't get the words out as he stumbled back into the house. He picked up Spain's bloody clothes and took them to the wash basin in the backyard. He just sat there a rubbing the clothes against the washboard silently while he waited for his heart to calm itself. _Spain you bastard! _he screamed in his head.

Spain chuckled and walked back inside. He picked up his battle ax and put it in a closet next the door and took a mop to the blood on the floor. The house was starting to regain its usual happy and light-hearted feel.

* * *

Night had fallen and Spain had sprawled himself on his bed with a book. Romano walked into the room from the hall and stood in the doorway. He was in his long, poofy nightgown that made him look much younger than he really was and frantically wiping his face as if he had been crying.

Spain lay the book open on his chest and looked up. "Is everything okay?"

"I-I h-had..." Romano was choking on the words and his eyes continued to fill with tears. Spain opened up his arms and Romano walked over and lay down next to him under the sheet. Spain put his arm around him and gently rocked him. He didn't need an explanation as to what happened.

"Everything's gonna be okay Romano. I'll always be there when you need me." he cooed. He put a bookmark in his book and put it on the nightstand. "Was it the killer tomatoes again?" Romano always seemed to have those kinds of nightmares.

At first Romano was reluctant to say anything. Spain just looked down and smiled at him cluelessly. _Why can't he understand! _Romano thought. He sat up quickly and threw off Spain's arm. Spain winced a bit because it seemed that Romano had thrown it a bit to roughly. His eyes filled with tears again and Spain stopped smiling as the tears flooded down his cheeks.

"It was never the tomatoes!" _Well maybe once or twice. _Romano thought to himself. "I'm just worried about you! And...and...I'm scared."

Spain stared at him. "What's there to be scared about? I'll always be here for you, and you know it." Spain reached up to ruffle Romano's hair, but he pushed it away, gentler this time.

"That's just it! Y-your not always here! When you leave I'm all alone here!" Romano's voice was getting louder but it was still shaky. "I get scared. Are you going to make it home? Is something going to happen? I can't stand being here by myself!" Romano couldn't take it anymore. He buried his head in his hands and sobbed. His body shook violently with every heavy breath he took.

Spain watched him go on like that. He didn't know how much he had hurt the one person closest to him. He reached his arm out and pulled Romano to his chest. "Can you hear it?" Spain asked referring to his heartbeat. Romano nodded, not saying a word. "As long as it still beats, I won't leave you alone in this world. I promise." Romano forced a faint smile and closed his eyes listening to the rhythmic beat of Spain's heart. It was a comforting sound that eventually put him to sleep.

Spain lay his head on Romano's and drifted into a nearly restless sleep.. Who knew he was causing so much pain to the one he was trying to protect?


	3. The war of hearts

It was around sunrise when Spain awoke, but it was the way he woke up that troubled him. He had been dreaming peacefully when an odd and manic laughter woke him. When he opened his eyes he thought that the laughter was just part of the dream, but then he heard it get louder, as if it were outside the house. It was definitely outside. And close. Spain sprung out of bed and rushed to his bedroom window. Unfortunately his sudden burst of energy made his limbs groan and cry for more rest. Romano's head fell onto the bed and he jerked awake at the feeling. He quickly sat up in bed. "What is it Spain?"

"Go back to sleep Romano, I'm just gonna go and check the um...the tomatoes! I think a ripe one just fell." Romano could tell that it was a lie and this made him worry.

Spain pulled the curtains a bit and looked outside. "Son of a bitch." he swore under his breath. He ran out of the room, Romano began to follow him but Spain stopped him. "Please Romano, stay inside and don't come out no matter what, okay?" Romano just stood there.

_What's really going on Spain? _Romano thought. He stood there biting his lip and shaking slightly.

Spain looked back at him light-heartedly and smiled. "Everything's going to be okay Romano. I promise, I'm not going to leave you, I just want to keep you safe." He slipped his arm out of his sling and got his battle ax from the closet. It was a silent for a while except for the sound of that crazy laugh outside. Spain opened the door and slipped outside without another word.

Romano stood in the bedroom doorway. _This is my chance to protect Spain. _he thought. He ran into his room down the hall and pulled on some pants while stuffing his nightgown in down the legs so that it wasn't flowing around everywhere. _I don't have a weapon though. If I go out there without a weapon, I could die, and what good would that do Spain? _Romano sat on his bed and thought for a minute. That was a good point, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. That's when he remembered the small fencing sword that Spain had given to him for defending himself. He still wasn't too good but he expected that he was good enough. Romano grabbed the sword from under his bed, ran to the kitchen and snuck out of the back door.

* * *

Spain felt a sharp thud in his chest when he layed eyes on the madman outside. _What does he want now? Why is he even here! _Britain was ten yards away taking heavy swigs from a bottle of whiskey. He looked up at Spain when he arrived and laughed again as he tucked the whiskey on the pocket in his coat.

"Well, look who it is! I was looking for you ya know." Britain slurred.

"What do you want?" Spain said sternly. He had to get Britain out as soon as possible before he did anything rash.

"I've come to take you back dear coz. You thought you could just escape my prisons like that eh? Well your wrong, so you could either come peacefully, or I'll have to use force." Britain slowly withdrew his sword from its sheath and leaned on it, a sly smile spread across his face.

Spain's eyes darted frantically back towards his bedroom window. If there were one time in which he wished that Romano would listen, this would be it. Unfortunately Britain had been following his eyes and when Spain looked back his smile grew ten-fold.

"That's right! That twin, um...what's was that bloody child's name again...Romano! He's living with you now isn't he?"

Spain swallowed hard, "He's not here right now, he's staying with someone else."

"Well surely you don't think that you can fool me? Who would take on such a horrid little brat as he? There's no chance of him staying with his brother either, Austria caught that one just a while ago you know."

Spain took a fighting stance and brought his ax in front of him. His body hadn't fully recovered as yet and they were desperately begging for a rest and Spain nearly fell forward but he only needed a couple of minutes, not too long. He regained his stance. The time for talking was over. Britain as well took a battle stance. This was it. The time to fight was now.

Britain took the first move. He began to run towards Spain, but then quickly turned to the left and lunged at Romano who was peeking over at them from the side off the house. Romano dodged Britain's attempt at a stab and ran over to a willow tree in the front yard.

_Damn it Romano! _Spain thought. He looked back at him holding onto his puny little fencing sword and looked back at Britain's cutlass. There was no way for Romano to protect himself.

Britain turned around and decided that Romano was the key to winning this little game he and Spain were in. He made another charge at Romano but was intercepted halfway, by a rather determined Spain and his battle ax. Their weapons met with a loud clang and as the two tried to push each other back sparks flew from the weapons. They both jumped back to catch their breaths. Britain wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. _This might not be as easy as I thought._

Spain on the other hand was panting heavily with his hands on his knees. He wasn't going to take much more of this. He dropped to his knees and a sudden jolt of pain through every bone in of his body as he fell. He clenched his teeth so drive away the pain. Spain turned his head to the slowly brightening sky. _Am I really gonna make it out of this one?_

* * *

Romano was shaking. Spain's injuries had still not fully healed so fighting like this, even that little bit must really take a lot out of him. He looked up at Britain. Britain stared back at him with a devilish smile. Romano grabbed at his heart. Whatever it was Britain was trying to say terrified him and he didn't want to know. He lifted his sword and held it at the ready. Britain quickly closed in on Spain and made his move. It all happened so fast that Romano was still trying to process it all.

Britain made a swift slice with his sword...

There was blood...

Spain fell...

"Noooo!" Romano cried. Filled with rage and sadness he ran over and waved his sword around wildly through blinding tears. He did end up however, getting a lucky slice at Britain's cheek.

"You insolent little brat!" Britain hissed. He knocked Romano's sword out of his hand and across the yard, then put the tip of his blade right up to his neck. Britain leaned in to his prey, his breath wreaking of gin, and came just within noses with Romano.

Romano couldn't focus though, fears were going in and out of him and his heart was aching as it raced the blood through his body. His tears continued to stream down his face even as he tried to choke them back down. Showing the enemy such negative emotions would only cause more trouble.

"What do you want? More power!" Romano cried.

Britain smiled, "Why yes, and you shall guarantee it for me with this capture."

"Why do you even want more power!? You control so much already and are always fighting people for no reason! Why...why do you keep doing this! Is it all just a game to you!"

Britain looked displeased. How could this inferior brat talk to him like that? He took hold of Romano's neck and squeezed as he hoisted him in the air, dropping his sword. "Didn't you learn to respect your elders? If you keep talking like that I might just have kill you." Romano was clawing at the hand on his neck and flailed is legs wildy. Britain laughed, he loved the sight of watching others squirm. Romano bit down on his hand until blood stained his teeth pink.

"You bloody little bastard!" Britain tossed Romano off to the side next to Spain and cradled his bleeding hand in his arms. Romano landed on the ground with a thud and went into an instant fit of coughs, sputters, and gasps as he tried to breath again.

Spain moaned loudly. Britain spun around and sneered. _That bastards still alive is he?! _He walked over and kicked Spain squarely in his chest, opening up the previous wound. Spain's eyes bulged and he began coughing up blood. Britain turned back around to retrieve his sword. Forget capturing them both, he would just kill them and take their land. _Well I guess you could say that this is less work on my part then. _Britain had barely caressed the handle of his sword before he heard a click behind his head.

"I'm going to count to five, and if you haven't left by then, I will shoot your brains out." Prussia was behind him with a pistol to his head. Britain turned his head slightly and saw France leaning over Spain and the still sputtering Romano.

_Damn it all to hell! Where did these two fools come from?! _Britain was trying to decide whether for not to take the both of them.

"One..."

It wouldn't be too hard, but would his sword bee faster than Prussia's gun?

"Two..."

He couldn't think straight with Prussia counting like that...

"Three..." another click.

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving." Britain blurted as he threw his hands up. Prussia's gun followed him as he went down the dirt path with one last sneer at Spain and Romano. Romano met his eyes with bloodshot and saddened eyes that held an emotion he couldn't seem to read. He stopped.

"Four!" Prussia walked closer to him. Britain headed off down the path at a faster pace. _If I saw what I thought I saw...that boy's eyes were almost trying to see through me._

* * *

A/N: so I'm really sorry that that fight scene wasn't more descriptive and stuff. I'm kinda bad at this aren't I? Also, even though I have a pretty good British accent, I can't write like that. Again, apologies, I think there's one more chapter to go here, but I might not make it, please comment so I can see how I did. And a final sorry


	4. Too hard to say goodbye

Romano jolted forward from an unconcious state, and hit his head on the glass of the bayview window. "Ow!" he glanced outside the window at the cloudless skies and the sunlight bouncing off of the leaves of the willow tree in the front yard. _It must have been another nightmare. _he thought to himself. It was so beautiful outside. He turned his back to the window and surveyed he living room. He felt the weight of an elephant pound on his head. The memories of what had happened earlier were flooding back so fast that it was all too much for him to handle. His breathing became more frantic as he saw Spain lying on the couch even worse than the day before.

Prussia, who was sitting peacefully with his arms folded across his chest and his eyes closed, peeked through one eye and looked up at Romano. "You okay?" he asked.

Romano payed no attention to his question. He just continued to stare worriedly at the unconscious Spainard.

Prussia traced the path from Romano's eyes and sighed. "He's gonna be okay alright? Isn't that right France?" Prussia turned to France who had a rather distraught look on his face. He forced a smile though and nodded slightly. Romano wasn't convinced. He bent his head and could feel the tears flooding to his face.

Prussia sat up in his chair and tried to comfort Romano. "Aww, come on, don't look so sad." Romano didn't want to hear it though. He could tell that they were only saying that to make him calm down. He ran with his head down to his room and locked the door. Romano stood there and watched as the first tears began to trickle down his cheeks. He plopped himself on his bed and continued to cry silently until there was a knock on his door.

"Romano, are you okay? You must be hungry right?" France asked softly. Romano _was _hungry but he couldn't manage to utter a word. Romano heard a sigh outside the door. "Alright then, if you get hungry. I'll leave this outside the door." There was the distinct clink of a tray as France set down the food and walked back into the living room.

Romano walked over to the door and put his hand on the door. He could hear France and Prussia talking in the living room.

"How's he holding up?" Prussia asked.

"Which one? Spain or Romano?" France asked. There was silence for a while then France continued. "I honestly don't know if he'll make it or not. He really got himself into a sticky situation this time, non?"

"Yeah." Prussia said but his voice was hard to hear. Romano couldn't take it anymore. He slumped on the floor behind his door and sobbed heavily.

* * *

"Damn, he must have heard us." Prussia cursed.

"Well he would have found out eventually." France said. He sat back in his chair and changed out Spain's bloody bandages. Prussia sat back in the armchair and closed his eyes while he focused on holding back tears. _Why was it always Spain who ended up in these situations?_

* * *

Romano tried to subside his tears for a while. It wasn't doing any good and he was beginning to hate himself for being so stupid. _I can never get anything right! _he thought. _When I tried to help Spain, I only made things worse! Plus...Britain is right, no one wants to take me in. I'm just a worthless kid. _He could feel the tears rushing back again and there was nothing he could do to stop them. _Maybe...maybe Spain would be better without me. He can take care of himself, to some extent, and even if he needed help, France and Prussia are better help than I am. _Romano had made up his mind. Tonight when everyone was asleep he would runaway. He didn't know where as yet but as far away from Spain as possible. He scrambled off the floor and over to his desk and grabbed a pencil and paper to write a good-bye letter.

_Dear tomato-bastard,_

_It took me a while to notice this but I think that it's time I leave. I can't seem to get anything right anyway and I don't want to be too much of a bother to you anymore. If I can't protect you then what's the use? By the time you find this letter I would have already runaway, please don't come for me though._

A tear rolled down Romano's cheek as he continued to write.

_I know that I usually don't act like it but I..._

this next part was a bit hard for him to say...

_I love you. And because of that, I can't stay with you anymore._

_Arrivederci,_

_Romano_

Romano put down his pencil and stared at his letter for a while before he folded it and placed in the center of his desk. He let out a sigh of relief and began packing a small bag of essentials for his trip. A couple shirts, some pants, and his stuffed tomato. He looked in his closet at the dress that Spain had made for him and layed it on his bed with a cloak. _This is what I'll wear when I leave tonight. _he thought.

* * *

The sun had finally set and Romano was ready to take his leave. He was all dressed and slung his knapsack over his shoulder. He slowly unlocked his door and peeked outside to make sure that they were all asleep. Luckily they were. Romano turned back to his desk and snatched the letter off of it. He tip-toed out of his room and into the living room. He slipped past France and put his letter on Spain's chest. He stood there for a while thinking about whether he should kiss Spain's forehead but then decided against it. Romano walked into the kitchen and quietly slipped out of the back door into a night of uncertainty.

* * *

France woke up with the rising sun the next morning and felt a refreshing feel run over him. _Nothing like a good nights sleep. _he thought to himself. He glanced over at Prussia who had sloppily sprawled himself on the armchair he was sitting in earlier and then at Spain who hadn't moved in 2 whole days. Then he noticed a folded note on Spain's chest. _How did this get here? _he thought. He glanced down the hallway to Romano's room. The door was still closed and the tray of food was still sitting in front of it undisturbed. Something inside him had a twinge of anxiety and it wasn't good. France picked up the note from Spain's chest and read it, eyes widening with each sentence.

"Spain! Wake up! Romano's run away!" France shouted as he tried to shake him awake. There was no response and Prussia started to stir.

"What are you doing you idiot?" he mumbled.

France bounded across the room to him and flipped him upside down.

"What the—?!" France tore off Prussia's boot and stole his sock but nearly gagged at its potent stench.

"Don't you ever wash these?!" France choked but Prussia just shrugged. France quickly went back over to Spain while holding his nose and put the stinky sock in his face. At first there was no response. Then there was a sniff, a larger sniff, then a big whiff before the Spainard then bolted up and began choking of the scent as well.

"Come on guys, it can't honestly smell that bad!" but neither of the others paid attention to this comment.

France shoved Romano's note in Spain's face. "What's this?" he asked.

"Just hurry up and read it!" Spain read the note and a smirk crossed his face.

"This is a joke, right?" he asked. He slowly got up from the couch, everything still ached with ten times to intensity as before. He went down the hall and opened the door to Romano's room gently pushing the food tray aside with his foot.

"Romano?" he asked but the room was empty. He turned back to France who watched him catiously. "Where is he?" he asked, his jovial smile turning to a worrisome frown.

"I don't know, I'm sorry." France replied. Prussia was still in his chair and was slowly piecing things together.

"If he ran away then there's no hope in looking for him now, he could be miles away." Prussia commented. Spain gave him a death glare and walked swiftly to his room. When he came out he was fully dressed and looked determined.

"Don't do this." France said calmy but Spain was already out the door.

"Even if you look you'll never find him!" Prussia called as they caught up with Spain. The pain was getting to him and he was limping badly. He clenched his teeth and let the tears fall as he continued to walk until his legs finally gave out and he fell flat on the walkway. Spain sobbed and tried to painfully crawl forward and finally neither France nor Prussia could stand to watch.

"Spain, just let him go." Prussia said gently. He knelt crouched down beside his friend and offered a hankercheif. France came round the other side and just stood watching his closest friend unravel.

"I need to find Romano." Spain choked out. The others were silent for a while and then Spain tried to get up again resulting in a sickening crunch from one of his arms and as he hit the dirt again he inhaled a thin layer of dust. He sputtered, coughed and cried on the ground, still managing to repeat over and over, "I need to find Romano."

France looked up at Prussia and said "He means the world to him." Prussia gave a reluctant nod and looked back at Spain. Each of them took an arm and slung it over their shoulders hoisting him up, Prussia being especially careful of his broken arm. Spain looked up at them through tear-blurred eyes. "It's not like we're just gonna leave you here." Prussia said. Spain smiled a little and chuckled. The three of them made a quick U-turn back towards the house for some medical supplies and food for their search.

"I just have one thing to say." Spain began as they headed down the path, "You should really wash your socks Prussia, they stink worse than France's bleu cheese." Spain and France laughed out loud while Prussia pouted and turned their attention to the small footsteps leading down the path to the house.

"Romano." Spain breathed silently.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. I have more in stock for this story but I'm a little worried about making the chapters too long. This chapter was kinda frustrating to make since I have midterms this week but its alright. Please comment and tell me what you think, also, just curious, but what do you guys think about the pairing Canada x Italy?


End file.
